Memento: Polaroid of Leonard.

Polaroid of Leonard: The time and circumstances in which this Polaroid was taken is not directly revealed (unlike those of Teddy and Natalie); rather, its creation is claimed by Teddy in chapter 15: I took that picture. Just when you did it.

Chapter 12. Monochrome. Leonard in his hotel room.

1. An envelope is pushed under the door of his hotel. It has 'Take my call' written on it. Inside the envelope is the Polaroid of Leonard.

2. The physicality of the integral Polaroid is attested to by the blood prints.

Chapter 15. Colour. At the abandoned building.

1. Teddy: I took that picture. Just when you did it. Look how happy you are [Leonard checks the reverse of the Polaroid for written confirmation: there is no text on the Polaroid]. I wanted to see that face again.
Leonard: Oh gee, thanks.
Teddy: Fuck you. I gave you a reason to live and you were more than happy to help. You don't want the truth. You make up your own truth.

2. An incongruous element presents itself here: the Polaroid is shown here to be in Leonard's possession. If one takes into account the moment he receives it (the scene from which the monochrome still is taken), it can be assumed that it has been in Leonard's' possession for some time; yet at no other point in the main (colour) narrative is it actually shown to be in his possession. Indeed, earlier in this scene, as Teddy approaches the abandoned building and Leonard checks his Polaroid's, it is not visible as part of the collection, implying its absence.

Chapter 15. Outside the abandoned building. Leonard is sitting in his car.

1. The moment after he has added 'DON'T BELIEVE HIS LIES' to the reverse of the Polaroid of Teddy, Leonard burns the Polaroids of both himself and the man he has just killed.
Leonard (voice-over): Can I just let myself forget what you [Teddy] have just told me? 

Update on 30 05 2009 by S. Cousin

The burining of the Polaroids:

Comments

[trovster]

I watched Memento last night, for the second time, so it's completely fresh in my memory. Although, I'm fairly positive I understand the film - the story, the ideas and the deliberate ambiguity. However, I'm unclear about the Polaroid of Leonard, as mentioned in this entry.

At the start of the storyline, Teddy gives Lenny the polaroid of Lenny, just after he'd kill 'the real John G.'. However, when Lenny burns the polaroid of Jimmy (the drug dealer boyfriend of Natalie who he has just killed), he also burns the polaroid of himself.

However, he had the polaroid of himself later in the storyline. You mention Teddy slips this under the door, to make Lenny answer the phone. OK - that explains how he's got the polaroid again.

But, the photographs are exactly the same. The only explanation is that Lenny has a duplicate (or more) of this polaroid. Is this correct?

[S. Cousin]

Hi - many thanks for your post.

There is only one Polaroid of Leonard. Chronologically, the parts of the narrative that are in monochrome take place before that in colour. Thus, events unfold as follows:

i) The Polaroid is slipped under the door of Leonard's room.

ii) At the abandoned building the Polaroid is shown to be in the possession of Leonard and Teddy claims that he took the Polaroid, 'Just when you did it.' This indicates that Teddy was the person who slipped it under Leonard's door.

iii) Outside the abandoned building Leonard sits in Jimmy's car and burns the Polaroid's of both himself and Jimmy.

(Later at the tattoo parlour Leonard is shown disposing of the burnt, curled up remains of the Polaroid of Jimmy. The remains of the Polaroid of Lenoard are not shown. Either it was destroyed completely or the remains of it are still in Leonard's possession).

Polaroid duplication is another question entirely!

[trovster]

Ah, I couldn't exactly remember where I saw the polaroid 'first'. But it makes sense, he got it under the door, before becoming 'friends' with Teddy.

I got confused when he is answering the phone. Because, after chatting for a while on the phone, he reads the tattoo 'never answer the phone'. Now, Teddy needs to persuade him to talk. I thought the 'never answer the phone' part came later / in a colour part (aka later in the storyline)

Thanks for clearing it up.

[S. Cousin]

The 'Never answer the phone' tattoo is interesting. That it is revealed when Leonard removes a bandage indicates that it is relatively new. As Teddy is the only person to ring him, it's possible that Leonard does not trust, or rather fabricates a distrust, of him as a precursor to the annotations to the Teddy Polaroid - which ultimately results in Teddy's death. Leonard does not want to know the truth.

I had not took much notice of this tattoo before. Cheers for pointing it out.